OK. Call me a dinosaur. Go on...
People seem to be nervous about saying this, but here goes: THIS IS NOT FOLK MUSIC. Not by any definition I am aware of. I have a pretty broad definition, by some people's standards, but this is outside of it. I'm not criticising the music - It's very pleasant, and well performed - but it shouldn't qualify for a folk award. And on those grounds, should not have been allowed to enter, let alone win. A bit like a cyclist winning the long jump event at the Olympics. It's no wonder that J. Public hasn't got a clue what folk music is, when all he has to go on - unless he is prepared to take a leap in the dark and go to a folk event to find out - is the Ministry of Misinformation dishing out this sort of thing. Are these awards at all relevant? It all seems to have more to do with the current 15-minutes-of-fame culture than with folk music.
Incidentally, haven't we just had the folk awards, or have I been asleep for 12 months?
Yrs. Disgruntled. St Helens.
PS. I do folk music, if anybody's interested, although I'm not in line for any awards, nor am I likely to be.
John Kelly.